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The Mariners have talked with the Pirates about first baseman/right fielder Garrett Jones in recent weeks, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Baker stresses that it was just one of the many conversations the M's have had with clubs, but the discussion went beyond just one phone call and names were batted back-and-forth.

One proposal had Jones and Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan and possibly another player going to the Mariners in exchange for first baseman Justin Smoak, catcher John Jaso, and starting pitcher Hector Noesi. The Bucs have let other teams know that Hanrahan is available and were said to be seeking rotation help in return.

Jones, 31, had a .274/.317/.516 batting line with 27 home runs in 515 plate appearances for the Pirates last year. We saw the first baseman/right fielder on the pages of MLBTR last offseason as the Yankees reportedly had interest in trading for him.

Hanrahan, also 31, posted a 2.72 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 last season in Pittsburgh. The closer earned $4.1MM last season and is in line to earn $6.9MM for 2013 in his final year of arbitration. Jones earned $2.25MM in 2012 after heading to arbitration in his first year of eligibility and is projected to make $4.4MM. Baker writes that the Pirates may be motivated to make a deal like this in order to ease their payroll burden.

I simply can't see Hamilton coming here, even though I'd drool over the bat in the middle of the lineup. We already have Gomes in left, whom Cherington has said he will have a much larger role than a part time player. It just creates a log jam. Gomes in right would be a disaster, and if we sign Hamilton to play LF, then where and when would Gomes play? I just don't see it. I can see them happily bringing Ross back to play RF, even though I'd much rather have Swisher. My predictions for this week:

1.) Napoli signs with Boston. Boston has wanted him for a long time. It's a good fit. 3 years with option, 40 mil.

2.) Ross resigns for 2 years w/option. He was a great fit in Boston both on and the field and in the club house.

I would rather have Ross than Swisher, the years match our long-term plans and I don't want to jam up 1B/DH with Swish/Napoli 2-3 years from now. I would, however, sign Hamilton if we can't get Napoli or Ross. I think he can play RF for a year or two at the least, and we do need another LHH power bat for if/when Ortiz goes down again.

I also see Iglesias being packaged for pitching along with one of Lavarnway/Salty and Ciriaco or another SS we could acquire playing there, I also really hope we move Ells before he has another down year riddled with injuries. Hopefully Christmas comes early for us starting tomorrow!

The more I think about it the more I would like to sign Hamilton to a 4 year deal, maybe with a vesting option for a 5th. There would need to be some strongly worded clauses to allow the Sox to void his contract if he relapses, but I think they could design a system to keep him out of trouble. One of my biggest concerns for this team long term is left handed power in the lineup, especially with Ortiz coming towards the end of his career. Hamilton could play LF for 2 years then maybe move to DH and replace Ortiz once he retires.

Trade
Lester and Bard to KC for Wil Myers, Cheslor Cuthbert and Mike Montgomery
I still love the Lester for Myers idea and I also have no faith in Bard. Cuthbert and Montgomery are both lottery tickets with huge upside but also bust potential. I don't mind taking a risk here because the potential gain far outweighs the risks in my opinion. I don't see Lester leading us to a World Series in the next 2 years, but I can see Myers as a perennial All Star in RF for the next decade. Plus prospects with the kind of pedigree, high ranking and elite performance in the upper levels of the minors have an excellent record of success and the vast majority have become above average MLB regulars if not stars (Delmon Young being the obvious exception).

Stolmy Pimentel, Jeremy Hazelbaker and Cash to Min for Justin Morneau
Morneau still crushes righties (.902 OPS in 2012) and could be a bounce back candidate. If Gomes can take some at bats against lefty's we could get some nice production out of 1B and we aren't stuck long term. If Morneau performs he could be brought back

RP- Craig Breslow to Stl for Anthony Garcia
I'm just a big fan of Anthony Garcia and think he could be a gem of a prospect. Not highly rated in the Cards system yet and they need a LH relief pitcher.

Salty and Aceves to Chi Cubs for Dan Vogelbach and Barret Loux
Cubs need catching help and the Sox need left handed power in the farm system. Cubs get a starting C and versatile major league RP for a top 5-10 and top 15-20 prospect in the Cubs system.

Ellsbury traded either now or at the deadline depending on if we can get a good deal. If we could do something like Ells to Seattle for Hultzen I would do it. If we don't move him until the deadline then we don't sign Victorino.

I think short-term this would be an exciting team and if some things came together with the pitching it could potentially compete for a playoff spot. But the key is to build for the future. We keep all of our top prospects as well as gain Myers who is rated higher than anyone currently in our system. We could also have a pretty decent haul for Ellsbury and we also don't handcuff ourselves long term with any potential albatross contracts because 4 years of Hamilton should be pretty safe.

So I would pretty much do all the deals Bags hates, nothing personal, just a difference of opinion.

So I would pretty much do all the deals Bags hates, nothing personal, just a difference of opinion.

I don't favor Hamilton. I worry about Haren. The rest of the deals are fine - although Victorino might be a little high at $22M/2 yrs.

6/27/09: “We expect [Rondo] to play by the rules and be a leader as a point guard. We need him to be more of a leader,” Ainge said. “There were just a couple situations where he was late this year, I don’t know if he was sitting in his car, but showed up late and the rest of the team was there. We have team rules and you have to be on time. He was fined for being late, he said he was stuck in traffic, and it’s just unacceptable.”

I don't favor Hamilton. I worry about Haren. The rest of the deals are fine - although Victorino might be a little high at $22M/2 yrs.

I've been reading 3yrs $30 mil for Victorino so I thought it would be better to overpay a little for 2 years instead of 3. Either way I think he would be trade bait after the first year when Jackie Bradley Jr is ready anyway. I think the same could be done with Haren. If he has a bounce back year and the Sox are out of it in July, he could net a nice return. That's why I favor 1 and 2 year deals for vets this off-season, because if we aren't serious contenders like most of us believe, these guys can help get us even more future parts if we sell them off.